Surviving Mt. Pinatubo

From the time I saw how the area around Mt. Pinatubo was converted as a tourist destination a few years back, it became one of my bucket list destinations. The way it was promoted was that it was a fun place to go and I always feel bad that I who have lived in the Philippines all my life have not seen such tourist destinations. I felt bad knowing that foreign tourists are always the first to explore and enjoy the hidden wonders of my country.

So when a friend came home from abroad, the wandering trio decided to scratch Mt. Pinatubo off our bucket list. We invited some more friends since touring Mt. Pinatubo is cheaper when you are in a group of four or five people.

Our meeting place was at the Victory Bus station in Cubao at around 3AM. We boarded a bus going North and got off McDonald's in Capas, Tarlac. Travel time is around 2.5-3 hours. We had breakfast first, then took the tricycles parked in front of Mcdo to take us to the tourist office for our Pinatubo adventure. The trike ride will take about 45mins to an hour.

At the tourist office, we registered and settled in for the briefing. The group was on an all time high, smiling and excited. Little did we know of the hardship we had signed up and paid for! haha

After the 30min briefing/orientation, we proceeded to our designated 4x4 jeeps. The (bumpy) ride to the trek jump off point will take also about an hour. Our eyes feasted on the surreal surroundings, with lahar towers everywhere. Our tour guide told us that during the rainy season, the whole area becomes a river.

We reached the trek jump off point at about 9AM. Someone in my group said that  7kms is a piece of cake, since we did trek Batad and that was 6kms. Oh, how wrong we were.

In order to get to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo, one has to cross lahar (volcanic ash), small rivers, stones of every shape and size and the last part would be a lush jungle path with slippery stones. For city dwellers like us who are on the heavy side of the weighing scale, it was pure torture! Plus the fact that we only look young for our age, but all of us were pushing 40!

Don't be fooled by the 2km marker that serves as a rest stop. It's like a cruel joke, because we were walking for about an hour or so to reach the crater, and we knew in no way it was 2kms. Walking from the Mansion in Baguio to the Botanical gardens is 2kms. Anyway, when the place was first opened to the public, this was where the jump off point was. Typhoons and time had made the trip via 4x4 jeeps to this point dangerous, that's why the jump off point is now at the "7KM" mark.

You'll know that you are near the crater when you see a cement path.

Swimming in the lake isn't allowed. They used to allow it but because the lake is very deep and the numerous drowning incidents of tourists, they have banned it.

After an hour or two of resting, we headed back. It was about to rain and the lahar paths become raging rivers once the rain pours.Our group was the last ones to leave since we were so tired, we were literally dragging our butts on the trail. The 4x4 ride that we enjoyed in the morning felt like being in a blender on our way back. Once we got to Capas, there was a restaurant beside Mcdo where we ordered sisig, bulalo, and inihaw na baboy and tons of rice. Our bodies ached for days, but if asked if it was worth it, I'd say yes.

Our tour guide told us that nature is slowly reclaiming the area around Pinatubo and soon it will be back to how it was before the mountain erupted in 1990. This is also one of the reasons why they are encouraging people to come and see it before the lahar towers crumble.